Process of obtaining potassium chlorid.



is evaporated to obi,

ferr c-El in learns-future f as either ms v m thenract-zr ,FCE,

A. Bnsnnouu, 0F SYRACUSE/NEW roux-c.

PRQCESS GTE QBZAJLJZNG POTASSIUM CHLORID.

No Drawing.

1' '0 all whom il may (Io-n5:

Be it knou'n'that. L Josnrir A. Bmnnonu, a citizen of the llnited Suites, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and Stateof New York. lia've inrenlcrlcertain new and useful lmprovcznrnls in Processes of Obtaining Potassium (hloriiL of which tho following is a specification My invention relates to prove s of olr mining potassium ohlorirl from saline liquors, derived from natural or urtili-zial sources.

As well known the water of Great Salt Lake and cert-21in other saline liquors and the saline solids therein. contain (flllOlldS and sulfates of the alkali melals and of the alkaline earth metals. The all-:ali nict-als present in lhe saline form are generally sodium and potassium, and the alkaline earth metals in such form are generally magnesium and calcium.

For the purpose of illuslraliozn the treat meut of Great Salt Lake water, in accordance with my proocss will be set forth, such lake Wa l-s2- ordinarily containing sodium chlorid, potassium chlorirl, sodium sulfate, 'magnesium chloricl, and calcium sul fate.

It is Well known that Great Salt, lialre water and certain othernaturally court-lug liquors, containing the above referred to salts in solution, may ho suh'lccr-cd. t,- evaporation and thc sodium C'lllfllld; more or less mixed with other salts, he obtained.

i I have discowrerl filial. if Great Salt Lake water or other liquors containing tho salts,

" tho sodium irliloiicl, sulfa Charo lt-ing in in the presence of ih in. chummol, react-ion occurs,

the forn'iation of magn siuin magnesium sulfate more. alums out with the soiiinxn cull under such conditions, more or potassium as chlorill or sulfate also or llizas our, and

miXnCl th the, sodium cl'nsor l,

n'lhu-prgic of any so;

tr atinont nunperaiuro 1* below zero -,complish2 Speciiicntionnf Letters Patent.

stfjlllltll'l'llll filed Euly 2, 1815. Serial No. 87,694.

T uoject tho Patented (Pet. 12, 1915.

groator portion of the sodium sulfate to crystallize out. The crystallized sodium sulfate thus produced is remorecl'by'sett-ling, filtering or otherwise, thus obtaining aliquor containing only a small portion of fueoriginal sodium sulfate, present in th liquor, and fliers-fore containing only a small percentage of the original 80 In this manner, I retain the magnesium, as magmsium chlorid. in the liquor. The quantity of sodium sulfate remaining in the liquor will depend largely upon the degree and duration of. the refrigeration. or cooling of the liquor.

The liquor freed from the greater part of the sodium sulfate, is ncxt subiectecl to either artificial or natural evzworation, preferably natural evaporation, callcfi solar evaporation, taking place in large ponds, in the open air. This evaporation, either natural or artificial, is continued until there is obtained a liquor containing about one part by weight of potassium chlorid to from two to three parts by Weightof sodium chlorifd, such liquor also containing nehrly all the original magnesium chlorid, but only a small quantity of the original sodiumsulfate. As a result of this EUIDOI'EItlOH, l havc found that about 75per cent by weight of the sodium chlon'cl, 50 per cent. by weight of the sodium sulfate and 95 percent. by weight of the calcium sulfate, ex-' isting in the liquor before ovapoint/loin are separated or crystallized out. This.c0n'-'. centrist-sci liquor now contains nearly all of the potassium chlcrid and magnesium chlorid, present in the liquor before evaporation, and also about two to three part-s hy weight of sodium chloricl for each part 1 by weight of potassium chloriclprcsent, as

-slum chl 1 solution, The solution inns natural or artificial means.

while hot, is allowed to settle or is filtered or both, from the crystals of sodium chlorid and is then introduced into preferably shallow crystallizing pans. The liquod introduced intothese crystallizing pansis al lowed to cool either by natural or artificial cooling, whereby crude crystals of potas' sium chlorid, with smaller quantities of sodium chlorid and magnesium salts crystallize or separate outfrom the liquor.

The crude crystals of potassium chlorid, when separated from the liquor by filtration or the like, are subjected to a systematic washing with previous Wash Waters followed with fresh Water and produce a product containing about 80 per cent. of potas sium chlorid and 20 per cent. of other salts. The mother liquor from the crude crystals is largely a solution 0t magnesium chlorid, and may be advantageously used by mixing it with the liquor comingfrom the solar evaporation ponds, as above stated.

It is to be understood that the terms refrigeration and evaporation as used in the specification and claims are intended to refer to such process accomplished by either It is further to be understood that the illustrated embodiment of the invention herewith described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes may be resorted to in the practice of the process and the steps thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The herein described process of treating Great Salt Lake water and other similar saline liquors for obtaining potassium chlorid, which consists in subjecting the liquor to refrigeration for crystallizing out the greater portion of the sodium sulfate, removing the crystallized sodium sulfate from the liquor, concentrating the resultant liq uor by evaporation for crystallizing out the Greater portion of the sodium chlorid, re moving the crystallized sodium chlorid from the liquor, adding magnesium chlorid to the concentrated liquor, subjecting the resultant liquor to hot evaporation for further concentrating it and crystallizing out the greater portion of the remaining sodium chlorid, removing the last named crystallized sodium chlorid from the hot liquor, cooling the hot liquor for obtaining crude crystals of potassium chlorid, separating the crude crystals of potassium chlorid from the liquor, and washing the crude crystals of potassium chlorid.

2. The herein described process of treating Great Salt Lake Water and similar saline liquors for obtaining potassium chlorid, which consists in removing from the liquor the greater portion of the sodium sulfate, concentrating the resultant liquor by evaporation whereby the greater portion of the sodium chlorid crystallizes ,out, removing the crystallized sodium chlorid, adding magnesium chlorid to the concentrated liq uor, subjecting the resultant liquor to the action of hot evaporation for crystallizing out the greater portion of the remaining sodium chlorid, removing the last named sodium chlorid from the liquor, cooling, the hot liquor for obtaining crude crystals of potassium chlorid, separating the crude crystals of potassium chlorid from the liquor, and Washing the crude crystals of potassium chlorid.

3. The herein described process of treating Great Salt Lake water andsimilar saline liquors for obtaining potassium chlorid, which consists in subjecting the liquor to the action of refrigeration for crystalliz log out the greater portion of the sodium sulfate, removing the crystallized sodium sulfate from the liquor, adding magnesium chlorid to the liquor, subjecting the result ant liquor to the action of evaporation for concentrating it and crystallizing out the sodium chlorid, removing the crystallized sodium chlorid from the liquor, cooling the liquor for obtaining crude crystals of potassium chlorid, separating-the crude crys-' tals of potassium chlorid from the liquor, and cleaning'the crude crystals of potassium chlorid.

4. The herein described process of treating Great Salt Lake water and similar saline liquors for obtaining potassium chlorid, which consists in subjecting the liquor to the action of refrigeration for crystallizing out the greater portion of the sodium sulfate, removing the crystallized sodium sulfate from the liquor, adding magnesium chlorid to the liquor, subjecting the resultant liquor to the action. of evaporation for concentrating it and crystallizing out the sodium c lqrid removing the crystallized sodium ilgrid from the liquor, cooling the liquor for ob taining crude crystals of potassium chlorid,

JOSEPH A. BRADBURN.

Witness C. L; PARKER. 

